BenQ X300G Projector Review: A Cute 4K Cube, but a Little Pricey [CNET]

The majority of projectors I review tend to look very, very similar to projectors I reviewed 10 or even 20 years ago. Some years there are a few more curves, other years sharp edges return. Like fashion, it all goes in cycles. With increasing regularity, projectors are arriving on my test bench with a different take on design. The gimbaled JMGO N1 Ultra for example, or the handled Nebula Cosmos Laser. There has even been the occasional cube. I like what BenQ has done with the X300G, with some ear-like pseudo-vents, some lovely orange highlights, and all while keeping the size fairly small. It’s a lifestyle-focused design intended to fit unobtrusively into a busy space where a traditional projector wouldn’t. 

The BenQ X300G’s 1.2x zoom lens.

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You can navigate fairly easily, even without the remote.

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Two USBs and an HDMI cover the bases.

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Inside are two 8-watt speakers.

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The adjustable foot and passive radiator.

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The backlit remote.

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BenQ X300G’s light-up “ears.”

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8.0

BenQ X300G

Like

• Great design
• Great contrast ratio
• Orange “ears” add character

Don’t like

• Underwhelming brightness
• Expensive

There is a cost to fitting all the various features needed for a modern projector into something small and stylish, and the X300G certainly has that issue. At $1,800, this BenQ needs to perform very well regardless of its 4K resolution, built-in streaming, and claimed brightness. 

The result is a miss on a few fronts, including that steep price, but what it does well it does really well. A solid “B” student, if you will, that’s better than many, if not most, “lifestyle” designed projectors. 

Specs and such

• Resolution: 3,840×2,160 
• HDR-compatible: Yes
• 4K-compatible: Yes
• 3D-compatible: Yes
• Lumens spec: 2,000
• Zoom: 1.2x
• Lens shift: No
• LED life (Normal mode): 20,000 hours (30,000 in Eco mode)

As you’d hope for an $1,800 projector, the X300G has 4K resolution and is HDR compatible. It can even do 3D if you’re still interested in that, though no glasses are included. 

There’s a small amount of zoom, roughly the same as other DLP projectors in this price range and cheaper. It should be enough to give you a few feet of wiggle room when placing the projector to fill a desired screen size. The zoom is electronic and accessible via the remote. There’s an additional digital zoom, where the image shrinks beyond what can be achieved via the lens optics. You’ll lose resolution if you do this, though, so ideally you shouldn’t use it. 

There’s no lens shift, which isn’t super common among single-chip DLP projectors, but BenQ’s own and far cheaper HT2060 has a bit. BenQ clearly intends the X300G for tabletop placement, evidenced by a handle on the bottom that pivots out and can angle the projector upwards. You might need some keystone adjustment if the angle is too much, but that’s best avoided if possible.

The claimed lumen rating of 2,000 is, as is often the case, a bit optimistic. In the most accurate mode I measured around 700. In its brightest mode, I got around 1,144. These are much farther off spec than is typical. While not dim, the X300G is definitely dimmer than other projectors in this price range. Most of the better options are closer to 1,000 lumens, with some brighter models a bit over. Again, not a huge deal, but given the relative price of the projector, I was expecting a bit more.

On the other hand, the contrast ratio is great. BenQ has a long history of squeezing out better native contrast ratios in its projectors. The X300G’s 1,762:1 is one of the best I’ve measured in several years. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some trickery going on with the LED light engine here to get that number, but on screen it looks great. We’ll talk more about that in a moment.

Speaking of diodes, like many new projectors, the X300G uses LEDs as its light source. This is going to be the norm going forward due to EU regulations. The LEDs should last well over a decade, even if you watch multiple movies every night. 

Connections

• HDMI inputs: 2 (1 external, 1 internal for included streaming stick)
• USB port: 2 USB-A (1 external, 1 internal for included streaming stick), 1 USB-C
• Audio: Speakers (8Wx2), HDMI ARC, Bluetooth
• Internet: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G/5G)
• OS: Android TV
• Remote: Backlit

Like many new projectors, the X300G comes with a streaming stick you install before you use the projector. This takes up one each of the HDMI and USB connections, but since these are intended for this purpose and hidden behind a removable cover, you’re not really “losing” any connections. The other HDMI and USB connections are on the side of the projector, in case you want to connect a game console or 4K Blu-ray player. The streaming stick runs Android TV, so you get full versions of all the major streaming services.

For audio, the unit has two 8-watt drivers that face left and right, with an oval passive radiator on the bottom. They sound… OK. There’s a lot of midrange and some hints of bass. Physics does small projectors no favors when it comes to producing sound. The X300G is roughly on par with the average Bluetooth speaker. That’s better than most projectors can manage, to be honest. It’s always better to connect something like a soundbar, but given the intended placement and use of the X300G, the speakers are fine.

The remote is backlit and the same as what comes with other BenQ projectors. It’s simple and nothing fancy, which honestly I prefer. It connects to the streaming stick via Bluetooth.

Picture quality comparisons

Xgimi Horizon Ultra

BenQ X500i

The BenQ X500i has a lot of similarities to the X300G. They’re basically the same price and both are 4K. They have the same remote, streaming stick, and familial orange highlights. The X500i is short-throw, however, and more “traditional” in its overall design. The Xgimi Horizon Ultra is another cube, with some great design features. I connected all three of these projectors to a Monoprice 1×4 distribution amplifier, and viewed them side-by-side on a 102-inch 1.0-gain screen.

Right away the Xgimi, despite its attractive exterior, is a step behind the BenQs. Its contrast ratio is noticeably and significantly worse, with far grayer blacks and a more washed-out image. When it comes to contrast ratio, the Xgimi performance against the BenQs is like me running the 800 meters in the Olympics. Would I finish? Yes. Would everyone else be at home already when I do? Also yes. I measured the Xgimi’s contrast ratio at 316:1, which is quite poor, while both BenQs are among the best I’ve measured recently.

The Xgimi takes the brightness crown, however; almost 50% brighter than the X500i and nearly double the X300G. However, the X500i draws the eye more due to its far better contrast ratio. Despite its similarity on that front with the X300G, the latter isn’t as bright so it doesn’t pop as much. So with all three side-by-side-by-side, your eye first goes to the ultrabright Xgimi, but then settles on the X500i for its better apparent depth. The X300G seems a little dim by comparison, but its contrast and color manage to hold their own and would likely do better when creating a smaller image.

This is with the projectors set in their most accurate modes. If you let them go full throttle, their brightest modes are visibly green but a lot brighter. Here, the Xgimi can be an absolute flamethrower, but I wouldn’t watch any of them in this mode as the image quality is a lot worse. The X300G in this inaccurate mode puts out more light than the X500i but less than the Horizon in their accurate modes.

Colorwise, the X500i is a little more vibrant than the X300G, but all three are fairly close and quite accurate. Caucasian skin tones are a little warmer on the X500i, but no color on any of the projectors really stands out negatively. DLP projectors, especially bright ones, tend to have fairly mediocre color reproduction, and while the X500i is an impressive standout here, the X300G and Horizon do really well.

Detail is the same across the board, but then, no surprise there. One noticeable difference, though just barely, is different tone mapping on the Xgimi. No projector can really take advantage of the extra dynamic range of HDR content, so it needs to “convert” it to something it can display. This is called tone mapping, and there are different ways to do it. The Xgimi tends to blow out the highlights a bit more than the BenQs do. So bright whites tend to get pushed up to “totally white,” losing detail in things like clouds. It’s only a little, and far less than some projectors. Just another aspect that pushes both BenQs past the Xgimi despite the latter’s excellent light output.

Overall, the X300G looks like the X500i — just dialed back by about 30%.

Cubits

What’s frustrating is that the short-throw X500i is the same price as the X300G, despite easily out-performing it. To get the (admittedly cute) cube form, you have to sacrifice brightness and by extension, image quality. The X500i can fit in most of the same places you’d put the X300G, since it’s short throw, it has a small zoom range, and even has the same streaming interface built in. The X500i is a lot wider, for sure, but with roughly the same depth and a lot less height. 

However, the X300G is easier to set in less ideal places (due to its built in tilting “foot”) and admittedly looks really good overall. I love the orange light-up “ears” on the sides. The issue is either the price or the brightness. It’s either too dim for its $1,800 price or too expensive to have under 1,000 lumens. If it was around $1,400 (or ideally less), it’d be a real winner.